1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a shower curtain retaining system, and more particularly to a shower curtain retaining system for retaining the bottom portion of a shower curtain inside a bathtub enclosure. More specifically, the present invention relates to a shower curtain retaining system which employs a retaining means that prevents the bottom portion of the shower curtain from falling outside the bathtub when the shower curtain is forced outward.
2. Prior Art
Shower curtain retaining systems for retaining a shower curtain are well known in the art. Typically, a prior art shower curtain retaining system comprises a retaining means for engaging and retaining either vertical end of a shower curtain to a respective bathtub enclosure wall in order to prevent the inadvertent escape of shower spray. U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,806 to Armstrong is typical of prior art retention system which comprise some type of vertical connecting means for holding the marginal vertical edge portion of a hanging shower curtain in contiguity with a bathtub enclosure wall to prevent shower spray from splashing outwardly between the shower curtain and the enclosure wall. Unfortunately, such prior art retention systems still permit water to spray out from the bathtub when the bottom portion of the shower curtain is inadvertently forced over the lip of the bathtub.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,132 to Greenblatt partially addresses this problem of shower spray by providing a shower curtain with a plurality of magnets attached along the lower portion of the shower curtain. The magnets tether the lower portion of the shower curtain to the inner surface of the bathtub and prevents its movement when the shower curtain is inadvertently forced outward. However, the magnets of the Greenblatt system substantially inhibit lateral side-to-side movement of the shower curtain by the user since the magnets function as stationary retainers that anchor the shower curtain to interior surface of the shower enclosure. The user must first detach the magnets from the inner surface of the bathtub before the shower curtain may be moved aside.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a shower curtain retaining system that effectively retains the lower portion of the shower curtain inside the bathtub when the shower curtain is forced outward over the lip of the bathtub, while also permitting uninhibited lateral side-to-side movement of the shower curtain.